Know Thyself
by Rubi Dharuddha
Summary: He had always heard her. He could recognize voice no matter where she was, no matter what he was doing. He had known of her since she was a child, though until recently had never thought in his haven of Olympus that she would affect him as deeply as she did. It had only taken him her lifetime to see it. Never knew that a mortal would be so significant to him when all the others
1. Chapter One

**Know Thyself**

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**Chapter One**

He had always heard her. He could recognize voice no matter where she was, no matter what he was doing. He had known of her since she was a child, though until recently had never thought in his haven of Olympus that she would affect him as deeply as she did. It had only taken him her lifetime to see it. Never knew that a mortal would be so significant to him when all the others though needed to maintain his family were so small to him. He was Apollo, a god; he didn't prefer any mortal to another.

Or so he thought.

Now she stood before him, in Olympus bound by Hades as some proof to Zeus that he was more potent than anyone believed. At this moment, Apollo detested his uncle more than ever before. She stood ahead of his father, her arms bent behind her back, Hades' cold hands gripping hers to prevent her moving. One shoulder of her dress had been torn, baring her pale skin against the cool air of the chamber. Her long red hair that had once been plaited on her head was now loose around her shoulders, a tumble from the rough treatment she had clearly retrieved from Hades and his detestable beasts of the underworld. Although she was clearly frightened, she remained standing, her face lifted in as much defiance as she dared. She had been shocked to find herself captive of those she had never seen but was expected to obey and worship. Apollo felt himself grow angry as he felt her fear radiate off her, seemingly causing Hades to grow straighter by the moment with her near.

It was difficult for him to explain, especially to himself, why her predicament affected him so deeply. She had not been extraordinary at least not in godly terms; her family had been bakers and lived simply. Though as time had progressed, Apollo had seen her life change at the hands of other mortals and although he had felt the desire to help her bubble in his heart—his father had forbade it, citing that mortals needed to be independent and loved from afar. She had prayed solely to him after and oddly he had begun to feel something he had not felt before because of it. He had heard her, down amongst the others, defending her reasons for her exclusivity to him when those who had begun to lose faith questioned her.

"I pray to Apollo because he is the only god who has not failed me." She said with a quiet assuredness, her words ringing in his ears as though a thousand drums were being beaten against them. "When I pray for the sun to rise in the morning, it does and when I ask for rest in the evening it sets… I am as faithful to Apollo as he is to me."

It was then that Apollo's feelings, though impossible to share with her, had left him at odds. Dalliances with mortals, his own father's indiscretions legendary especially when he felt slighted, were legendary among the mortals. He was not innocent of said affairs, but this was innocent to him—he couldn't explain if asked why she was so special to him and why now he wanted nothing more than to rip Hades' head of his shoulders for even threatening to bruise her fair skin. He watched helplessly as Hades questioned her in front of Zeus about her distaste in praying to the gods, looking to his father and hoping to see something in the king of the gods' eyes that would show his temperate nature toward mankind. He was disappointed to see none of that now, Zeus' face was stone, his eyes cold. Apollo could understand his father's outrage even though he felt in his heart that destroying those who had lost faith was not the answer. Zeus despite all his faults had created mankind and had poured into them his love, with the expectation of that love being returned. Their defiance outraged Zeus especially, as though a child were rebuking its own parents, justified or not—The powerful king had taken it difficultly. He did not want to compromise as Apollo had suggested and now it appeared the mortals would soon be suffering the consequences of angering Zeus, starting with her.

Although Apollo would do as his father commanded, he was not willing to follow that command on this woman. Apollo's thoughts were interrupted as Hades pushed her forward until she was ahead of Zeus, the light that seemed to emanate from him causing her to blink against the flare of it.

"Behold brother," Hades growled, the rasp in his voice like a knife against stone—the god of the dead grabbed the woman's hair, yanking her head back sharply until her face was turned up toward the king of the gods. "One of your disciples who has lost faith, proclaiming her defiance to your rule! Look into her eyes and see the truth of her heart." The pale skinned god continued, harshly. Apollo tensed at Hades' words and treatment of the fire haired woman, but knew it would anger his father and despite his seeming frailty he knew Hades was still a dangerous foe. He would do her more harm than good if he were defeated now.

Zeus looked down upon the mortal before him, one of the many examples of mankind that had lost their faith as of late though hers did not seem as lost as Hades proclaimed.

"Why?" he asked simply, his voice low though the chamber resonated with the sound as though a thunderstorm through a canyon. The woman's body shivered at the sound despite the ferocity of her spirit. She was afraid but steadfast and did not answer immediately, which angered Hades into driving her already bent arms up further behind her back, until her shoulders were only inches from popping out of their sockets. The woman cried out as her joints strained to stay together, her eyes welling with tears. Against his better judgment, Apollo felt himself move forward to help her, only to find his father's wrathful glare upon him. He stopped short of stepping from his seat in the council but felt every sinew in his body tensing to snatch her away from his dark clothed uncle. Zeus turned his gaze back to the woman once more and repeated himself.

"Why?" the echo ending just as a small but clear voice replied.

"Why should I?" she said, her words eliciting murmurs from the other gods and goddesses surrounding her, in spite of the pain her words brought him, Apollo understood what had happened to make her feel the way she did. Hades leaned over her shoulder, his head turned so they were cheek to cheek. Cold flesh against her warmth, her skin blackening with his touch in the same way the cold brought frostbite. Apollo saw her chest rise and fall quickly as her she felt her flesh react to the death of her flesh. He hissed into her ear, loud enough for all to hear.

"Why? You insolent insect—because we are gods and you are the dirt beneath our feet—You owe us your very existence mortal, and even that is not enough." Hades' cold dead eyes almost alight with glee at the prospect of her pain. He was surprised, however, when she responded more fiercely than before.

"I. Owe. You. NOTHING!" she cried, "I have prayed and worshipped—I have sacrificed and been faithful and it has brought me nothing!" Zeus looked at her, his anger evident at her own outrage.

"You dare speak to your creator this way? I and mine have provided you with…" The young woman who began to struggle against her captor's grip, her skin blemishing where he touched, interrupted Zeus.

"You and yours have done nothing! I watched as my village was burnt to the ground—my parents were slaughtered before my eyes while the very men who had murdered them raped my younger sister." She cried out, her face contorting into one of utter hurt. Apollo felt shame as he saw her eyes, her struggle against Hades' grip.

"I prayed for your help then—I begged! I begged them to take me instead of her—anything to make them stop hurting my baby sister. And they laughed at me! Where was your love then?" she screamed, her whole body shaking in pain and anger and sadness. Her defiance had reason and Apollo grieved for her, even when in the past he would never have cared what happened to her. Hades rested his hands upon her shoulders, fingers gripping her shoulders causing the skin to split and blacken. He seemed to strengthen as her pain increased, though she was still willing to struggle.

"When I prayed, you were not there—you never answered and _now_ you demand our obedience…" She wept, crying out as Hades pulled her hair again, yanking her head back further.

"Do you hear her brother? Her insolence? Do you see now, how necessary it is to it is to let me rain down upon them?" the king of the underworld pressed his brother. Zeus looked down upon the woman's tearful face. It would have pained him previously, to see one of his creations in this state, but he had become hardened over time. Hades let her fall back to the ground, her hands hitting the floor with a sickening thud. Apollo had seen enough and moved forward, Hades laughed at his nephew's show of strength.

"You may lord over the sun, boy, but you would be no match for death." He said with great assurance. Apollo gritted his teeth and proceeded regardless of Hades' threats.

"I'm willing to try." He said, though his words were nearly cut short as he was hit with a blast of power from Hades' hand. It was as though a boulder had been thrown straight at his head and although he was immortal, it caused him to stagger. He pushed forward, his desire to protect the woman now lying prone on the floor clear. He was hit again just as he reached her, stumbling and stopping himself before he landed on her. He felt his own skin split from where Hades' power had hit him. He threw his own power back, however it did little more than make him sway against it. The god of the dead was too old and too powerful even for the relatively young and strong, Apollo. Hades sneered at him again.

"Is this the best the sun god has to offer? I suppose we should all be grateful your weakness is being shown over nothing more than a mortal woman and not at a time of war." He said hatefully. He raised his hands again to send another assault toward his nephew, but Zeus slammed his hand against the arm of his throne drawing their attention from each other.

"Enough!" he bellowed, again echoing across the room. "There are enough troubles awaiting us below—we do not need to further them by fighting amongst each other." He said fiercely, looking at Hades until the god's hands lowered.

"Hades, you have my blessing to do as you will. Like children, they need to be reminded of the order of things. Set an example, brother. Turn them on each other and back into our arms." He said with finality. Hades bowed deeply, backing toward the chamber entrance until he disappeared. Apollo watched him as he disappeared in his smoke-filled fashion. His own strength was returning but slowly and if he angered anyone else, he would not heal so easily. He remained bent over the woman upon the floor in a protective stance. If anyone were interested in continuing Hades' plan, they would have to do so through him. He kept his head bowed, not making eye contact with his father, knowing he was certainly not his good grace at the moment.

"Stand my son." Zeus said more quietly than he had this entire time. Apollo did as instructed and stood, still taking a protective stance over the woman before them. Zeus looked at his son kindly; despite the disappointment he felt that his own child would be willing to fight his own uncle over the most insignificant of mortals.

"I know you have become fond of this woman…" He began, but Apollo shook his head.

"I would not stand for my uncle's maltreatment of any mortal before this council, Zeus." He said stubbornly. Zeus looked at him knowingly despite his protestations.

"I sense far more than passing care for a mortal, Apollo. I can see the heart of you and it tells me otherwise." He responded, his earlier resentments fading until the father Apollo knew was standing before him.

"Then you should know, father, that my feelings are very clear on this matter." He said tightly. Zeus nodded, though Apollo knew it was not because he had reconsidered, but rather he acknowledged his son would forever be in disagreement with him.

"Then I leave you with the chance to do as you will with this mortal—or is she so insignificant to you?" he asked, knowing full well Apollo would never leave this woman to suffer further. He had heard her prayers just as clearly Apollo had.

Apollo said nothing as he knelt beside the young woman again, gently slipping his hands under her and lifting her to him. He bowed his head to his father respectfully and left the stone council chamber, following the polished floors of Olympus and bringing her to what little safety he could offer.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

**A/N: WARNING, this chapter contains somewhat graphic details of assault. If this is a trigger for you, please be aware moving forward. It is not my intent to cause anyone discomfort. **

As she felt herself being moved, the woman's eyes opened a crack fighting against weakness and the pain from Hades' attack. Apollo caught the flash of green from her eyes and realized he was being watched though her attentions were quickly slipping away. The chances of her staying conscious for much longer were slim. As she lay in his arms, she could feel the embossed metal of his chest plate pushing against her shoulder. She expected the metal to be cool but found it was pleasantly warm against her frostbitten skin. She couldn't tell if her skin was just so badly damaged anything felt strange or if the man carrying her was producing the warmth himself. The question was quickly lost, as her eyes closed against her will, her body shutting down against the swirl of pain coursing through her mind and body.

Apollo had barely reached his chambers before he sensed he and his charge were not alone.

"I can hear your rebuke before your lips ever open, sister." He said, his sister Athena, who had been present at the council, appeared from out of the shadows of the chamber as he walked to the center of the room where a large canopied bed stood. She peered at the woman in his arms as he moved.

"I do not rebuke you brother—I worry for you… I understand your thoughts about how our father responds to the mortals, I may even share them to an extent…" She paused, thinking before she spoke. He looked at her for a moment as he laid his prone ward on the soft mattress.

"But?" he questioned smoothly, knowing his sister's intent was not to anger him, but it was irritating nonetheless to not have a moments peace from his immortal family. His current concern was to bring this woman back to health.

"But… She seems very plain—She has not been foreseen to have much use to us in this conflict, no special gifts… And she certainly isn't one of the beauties I have watched you stumble after before, Apollo. What about her makes you so willing to anger our father over her?" She said, still looking at the woman as Apollo fussed about her, making her as comfortable as possible. He gave a wry grin to his sister, stepping back as the chamber door opened once more to reveal the healers of Olympus, entering silently well aware of their task.

"You are wise to worry for me sister, but I fear you see little outside of Olympus." He looked back down upon the woman now being tended to by the very best healers in the world. His sister, though older than he, looked upon him waiting for an explanation. "It isn't that she will be instrumental in anything, her destiny is inconsequential to me."

He knew as well as Athena, that a destiny existed for a mortal already—one of Zeus' many sons, Perseus. Though that particular mortal was as irritating to Apollo as a thorn in his side, as the man would not accept his fate and fight the kraken Hades had threatened to turn loose on mankind if they did not submit.

At least not yet.

Perhaps his motives were selfish in protecting this woman. He could hardly explain it convincingly to himself, but it was at least feasible she could become valuable as well. He was loath to say she was to be a pawn in this conflict, when all he wanted was her trust returned.

"Enlighten me then, brother." She pushed, knowing her brother was at odds with his own answers. He sighed and looked at her tiredly; this was never ending.

"She is still a mortal, Athena—if we can show even just one we are worthy of their love, we have made far more headway than father or Hades." He said more assuredly than he felt. Athena shook her head, "Hades nearly killed her. Do you truly believe she will find solace in any of us again, even you her favorite? If you do manage to heal her, it is unlikely her trust will be restored in you." She said, far more gently than Apollo had ever heard from her before. He walked to the foot of the bed as the healer's ministrations worked to make her whole again; their work requiring all unessential bodies out of the way of their fluttering hands. It was odd to watch them use the medicines and practices intended for the gods alone. Their affect on the still woman was astonishing. Her skin healed together more perfectly than it had before, blemishes and scars from her mortal life retreated in time with the venom Hades had used against her, her veins pulsing her red with mortal blood again. She seemed to glow now, from her skin, her hair a more stunning auburn than before. Reminiscent to Apollo as the slash of red thrown by the setting sun; her eyes were still closed, but he imagined were they open; they would be an even more brilliant green.

"I cannot explain it, Athena. If we expect their faith in us, we should give them good cause to do so." He said, Athena's gaze strong upon him. He could almost see a smile upon her lips though he wasn't looking at her.

"And I'm sure no favoritism is being shown on this one..." She asked, quietly goading her brother. Apollo did not respond, keeping his eyes on the young woman. Athena turned to leave, pausing before she reached the chamber doors.

"Careful, brother. The mortals think themselves our playthings. Perhaps they are right—however, they do not realize how deeply it affects us when we lose them." She continued on her way out, leaving Apollo to his own thoughts. He watched as the healers continued to apply their talents to the woman, however, she wasn't waking. Finally, the elderly head of the group turned, bowing respectfully to Apollo.

"Why doesn't she wake?" He asked of his head healer. Her name was Corrine- she too was a demigod, the product of a coupling no one remembered. She had no other talent but for healing and had been brought to Olympus long ago to live out her days doing what she did best. Apollo's own respect stemmed from her helping care for he and his sister when they had first been brought to their new home. She was a mother figure to him and her knowledge of medicine was incomparable, save now, to his own.

"She has gone through a terrible trauma, Apollo. Hades not only damaged her body, he damaged her mind." She said, reaching out a withered hand to rest on that of the young woman's lying by her side on the bed.

"Hades' attacks on her," she continued, "have caused her to withdraw into herself. Her mind is currently trying to fight off what Hades has put there. And quite powerfully too, or she would likely be dead by now."

Apollo looked at his healer, "What are you saying, Corrine? She will never wake?" He asked, her vague words making her recovery time unclear. Corrine shake her head.

"You stupid boy," she said with a laugh. Anyone else and they would have been dust for speaking to him in such a way. His respect and need for her expertise, however, outweighed his pride.

"Enlighten me then, old woman." He said with a joking grin. She slapped his cheek with an arthritic hand.

"It means she has retreated within her mind, put up walls in an attempt to protect her sanity. It is likely Hades has been using her own memories to assault her, to bring her the most pain. As a god drove her to cocoon her mind as such, a god must find her. She needs YOU, you immortal fool." She said stubbornly. Although Apollo could laugh now, he knew he would be taken to task. This woman was hiding from a god's wrath- she would not respond well to another invading what sanctuary she could create, even if it were to help her. Corrine snapped her fingers and the other healers immediately left the woman's bedside. Corrine looked up at Apollo, sympathetic.

"Be gentle with her, Apollo. Hades was very thorough in his torture of her. Her mind is delicate and already frayed. Push her too far and she may never return to you." She said warningly. She patted his shoulder, rather, his chest, as she was shorter and bent with age. When they had all cleared the room, Apollo sat beside the woman pondering how he could reach her now that she likely no longer trusted him. Finally he shook his head clear and stood. He would just have to do what he could. He removed his golden armor, piece by piece, setting it aside until he was dressed in nothing more than a white linen tunic that reached just above his knees. He sat beside her, where she lay deathly still, save for the tiniest of breathes lifting her chest. She looked as though she were sleeping. If she weren't in dire need of his help he wouldn't have had issue with watching her until she woke.

He laid a hand upon hers and another across her forehead, now cool to the touch. Using his power, he entered her mind. Though he struggled to do so, it was like standing in the middle of storm at sea, the waves beating against him. She was fighting him and more powerfully than any mortal he'd ever encountered. Usually human minds were weak, easily defeated, but hers was not. He could feel the projection of himself part from his physical body from the exertion of entering here.

At first, he found himself standing in a wasteland of sand and burning sun. He stared into it for a moment. Its rays not affecting him as it did man. He tested the limits of his power here and found he could make the sun set at his content. As the desert behind him darkened and cooled, he heard a woman's voice behind him.

"What are you doing?!"

He turned to face the sound, but as he made a full circle all he saw was a flash of red.

"Hello?" He called out, his voice echoing across the barren sand. He did not hear or see anything after several seconds and began walking. It felt like miles when he heard a small voice beside him.

"Are you lost?"

He looked down and saw a young girl, no more than eleven standing there looking back up at him. She had long hair that was a familiar color, but her eyes were blue and her skin free of freckles.

"I'm looking for someone," Apollo began, "but she may be afraid to let me find her." The girl tilted her head at his admission, apparently confused.

"If she's afraid of you, why do you follow her? Are you a mean person?" She asked. Apollo smiled at her innocent but honest questions. Children had no filter, often seeing the truth of the matter before their supposedly more enlightened adult counterparts.

"I do not think she fears me, little one. Someone like me, that much to my regret, hurt her deeply." He responded, the little girl deeply pondering his words. As she looked at him, he could see a flash of recognition pass across her face.

"You're Apollo!" She said excitedly, clapping her hands with matching zealousness. He barely had a chance to respond before she was tugging on his hands, pulling him across the sandy dunes of wherever he was.

"Oh you must come, my sister prays to you every day- and my family would be so honored to have you in our home even for just a minute." She chattered and as she pulled him on their way, the scenery changed under foot, the whole world spinning like a round stone until trees and long grasses were now underfoot, the climate temperate and the air salty with ocean water. The change did not appear to affect the little girl with him and her chattering continued.

"Mama is making her famous stew and papa could play his lute for you and Neomi could sing..." She said happily until Apollo stopped her.

"What did you say? Who could sing for me?" He asked her, the little girl rolling her eyes with the attitude only a child could muster in a god's presence.

"Neomi, silly! My sister- she only prays to you every day!" She responded, pulling on his fingers until he moved again.

Neomi. It had never occurred to him that he did not know her name. He had always heard her, known her intimately through those words of prayer, and yet one of those glaring details, he had missed entirely.

Neomi.

As they walked down the steep incline they were met with a scene they were not expecting. In a welcoming glen, was a small house with a thatched roof. At first it appeared there was a fire on the hearth, until Apollo realized the smoke billowing from the roof and the fire was burning away the house. Both of them stopped short as they realized what was happening and the little girl clutched his hands, afraid. When he looked down, he realized she had changed too. Instead of the sweet smiling child he had been walking with moments before, he saw that her dress had been torn and dirtied not only with earth but also with blood. Her skin was mottled with bruises and lacerations. The most gruesome discovery was under her dirty and stringy hair, her throat was purple from man-sized hands stretching around it and squeezing. She shimmered and suddenly she was gone. His eyes shot back to the house and he saw that now there was a group of men outside it, jeering as the doors were flung open from the burning house and four people were jerked outside.

They were greasy, dirty and loud thugs, it didn't take much to see that and it was clear this was not the first time they had assaulted a family as they cheered when the four yelling and screaming were thrown to the group's feet. The men hollered words Apollo couldn't hear from his vantage point, and as he moved closer, saw them lift the father of the family to his feet, holding back what could only be his wife and two daughters. The gang attacking them began to chant and before Apollo could react, one of the greasy thugs had drawn a knife across his throat. He was thrown to the ground again, choking on his own blood, his wife and children screaming in terror and horror at what had just occurred. As their father lay dying, watching helplessly as the group turned on his family and began to beat the women for fighting against their captors.

Each of the women were pulled away from each other by one captor and were immediately groped and fondled with little regard for their age. Apollo could see now the young girl who had helped him was under attack, men who should have respected not only her family but her youth now handled her as though she were nothing more than a street whore. Her mother was beaten further as she tried to bite her captor to help her children, screaming as her nose was broken by a severe slap to her face. Across from them was a familiar face, even under the quickly rising bruises of her attack. Her green eyes flashed as they had in a council chamber far in the future though her fright was far more apparent than before.

This could only be Neomi as a younger woman. Reliving the murders of her family. One of the dirty, disgusting pigs that held her, moved a hand down her body, touching her in places he had not been given leave to. Neomi struggled but that apparently only made him angry and he slapped her again before replacing his hand where he wanted it. Apollo could feel his hands clench against his will as he watched this cretin touch her without her consent. He knew in the back of his mind that he could do nothing to help her, as this was a memory a horrifying memory, but something that had passed nonetheless. No matter how much he wanted to pound the thug into nonexistence, he knew he could not.

"Take me! Take me!" Apollo heard Neomi's mother cry as she watched the assault of her daughter's unfold. Neomi saw one of her captor's conspirators begin similar monstrosities on her baby sister and began to scream for them to take her as well, just leave her sister alone. Neomi couldn't have been more than fifteen and here she was offering herself so that her sister might not have to suffer the consequences of other people's evilness.

"Why would we take you, hag?" One of the monsters sneered, "When we have your pretty little daughters?" He ran his hands up Neomi's legs and she kicked violently earning another smack. Her mother yanked at her captors, angry and terrified.

"In fact..." The monster said again, "I don't think we need you at all." And he nodded at one of his cronies who immediately gripped his knife from its scabbard and used it against the girls' mother. Neomi slammed her elbow into the stomach of the man holding her, he dropped her arms as he felt the pain of her attack, the others were surprised by her sudden action and she used it to fly across the circle of men and scratch at the face of the man holding her younger sister.

"Run, Cassia!" she screamed and the two ducked between the murderers surrounding them. Neomi grabbed her sister's hand as they ran into a heavily forested area just outside their home. They could hear the group of thugs behind them, yelling as they chased the young girls. Apollo followed and quickly found he was not the only one who had caught up with the two. Although they had been running as fast as they could, the men overtook them quickly and Neomi found her sister being pulled away from her, screaming; Cassia was carried away and Neomi was grabbed by the man who she had scratched.

"I didn't really enjoy that." He hissed and Neomi realized he was gripping a dagger. Neomi turned to run, but was grabbed by her hair and yanked back brutally, in the distance she could hear her sister screaming and she felt her heart break. She was forced to face her latest captor and he smiled cruelly as he realized she was giving up. He lifted his weapon high over her, intent on ending her fight at that moment. Apollo could feel his whole body tense even though he knew this was but a shadow of a memory. Before the dagger could hit its mark, a call could be heard through the trees and the man, though loath to leave Neomi alive, shoved her down and ran to the sound. Neomi sat for a moment, breathing heavily as she realized she was alive—though she could hardly call it that now. She looked around, waiting to see if her family's attackers had returned and felt the silence envelope her. She stood shakily and began to run between the trees, looking, hoping, and praying.

"Apollo, please… Please let her be alive. I'll do anything." He heard her say softly to herself as she ran. It didn't take long for her to realize her prayers had not been answered. He saw her slide to her knees as she saw a pair of small feet sticking out of brush-covered area. Apollo heard her strangled cry before he had joined her where she knelt. He knew what he would find though and he realized how much that brought him shame. He waited as Neomi touched her sister's face; her tears sliding down her own in silent uniform. They waited like this for what seemed like eternity, the sky darkening and Neomi lying beside her sister, barely moving. Apollo stood watch over her, knowing he couldn't change this memory.

He was surprised when the scene changed again, Neomi and her sister disappearing from before him and a field of grasses ahead of him. Also ahead of him was Neomi, as he knew her now, grown and long since passed the tortured childhood she had just endured again moments ago. Her auburn hair was braided up around the back of her head and a white dress hugged her body as the wind pushed through the grass around her. Her green eyes regarded him from where she stood, several feet away from him. She was silent and did not appear to have intent to speak. He moved toward her, hand outstretched but his gesture did not have the intended effect. Neomi backed away, until she was running away from him. Apollo felt a wave of frustration flow through him, which he quelled quickly. He had known this would not be easy, she would not trust him immediately, though if she wouldn't let him near her, he wasn't sure if it would ever happen. Taking a breath, Apollo gave chase—he would find her and show her he wanted to help her and even more so, he wanted to prove to himself that he had not failed her again. He followed the flash of red ahead of him, pushing the grasses surrounding him aside.

Though, as temperamental as the sea could be, the mortal mind was even more so and just as quickly as he had begun to follow her he found himself somewhere new. This time it was a cliff face, the gentle breeze from before replaced by torrential wind and rain and at the very edge of the cliff, the wind ripping at her form, was Neomi.


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

Neomi stood at the very edge of the cliff face, the rain and wind beating against her as she looked down at the churning oceans below her. Apollo realized it was at this moment in her life she had stopped praying.

Normally the pains of mortality didn't affect him so, they lived, they prayed, they died and that was the way it was. It did not make sense to him that her predicament would have such an overwhelming affect on him. He stepped forward toward where she stood, still contemplating the waves below.

"Neomi!" He yelled her name, the cacophony caused by the storm surrounding them drowning everything else out. He moved toward her, hoping to reach her before she decided what she would do next. He feared if he didn't reach her here, he would not have another chance. She looked up as she realized she was not alone and turned to him, backing closer to the edge of the cliff, kicking away small stones in her wake.

"Neomi." Apollo said again, raising his hands in peace. She looked at him bewildered and angered by his presence.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?" She demanded of him suspiciously. Apollo weighed the options of telling her who he was. Either way, he likely would not get a good response from her if he told her outright he was a god, not after what had been done to her by Hades.

"I've always known you, Neomi. But that is not important now- I am here to help you." He said, but her regard was still suspicious and her proximity to the edge of the cliff was worrisome. Although it was in her mind, Apollo knew it would be no different than her standing over Poseidon's oceans on Earth. She would fall and be lost to him forever.

"I have no memory of you- stay away!" She yelled over the storm. He stepped closer regardless of her warnings though he realized he was only driving her closer to her death. He watched her as the wind whipped at her, her hair sticking to her face as the rain soaked through it. Her dress clinging to her body as the wind tore at it. Finally he decided he could do nothing but be honest with her. Likely if he waited he would cause her more upset. With a wave of his hand the rain falling around them stopped and the sun rose. Neomi's face became upturned as the sun caressed her face. She looked back at him, recognition flashing through her eyes.

"Apollo?" she whispered and he nodded. She looked at him, though she didn't move. He moved forward again, she stepping back not realizing how close she was to the cliff edge and starting to slip. As she began to slide, Apollo rushed forward and grabbed her, pulling her back to safety. At first she struggled, pushing against his chest in a futile attempt to get away. His grip tightened on her as she struggled and he pulled her closer so she would not knock them both to their end.

"Why do you fight me, Neomi?" He asked as he felt her fists beating against his chest, her face contorted in fear like a trapped animal.

"You're a god, you are all the same. I want no part of it." She said her voice choked with pain and distrust. The very things he had hoped never to hear from her.

"I can assure you, Neomi. We are not."

"I saw you- you watched as Hades tortured me. You let him!" She screamed pushing as hard as she could, though its fruitlessness was clear. She was fighting a god; she couldn't get away for trying.

"And I am sorry for my prolonged intervention, Neomi." He said with a tenderness he had not mustered in a long while. "I should have stood for you sooner and if it weren't for my own fears, you would not be here."

Neomi stopped struggling for a moment and looked him in the eye. Clearly she was not impressed with his words.

"You are a god, you lord over the sun and humanity with your family. You will never die as a mortal does and you have the gall to see your fear stopped you?! What could you possibly fear?" She said disbelievingly. Apollo smiled at her, albeit sadly.

"I fear more than you realize."

"Enlighten me!"

"I feared my intervening would lead to my father's wrath. That he would destroy you to spite me for speaking out. Or he would destroy me, still leaving you without protection." He responded, mustering as much patience as he could. He cared to help her, wanted to right the wrongs he had assisted in creating, but he was unaccustomed to having a mortal be so difficult to persuade. If it weren't such a dire situation he might have found that appealing, undoubtedly he still would once they were free of Hades' grip, but now it was exasperating. When she didn't answer, he looked her straight in the eye.

"I have never deceived you, Neomi. If you believe anything at all, believe that." He said hoping it would make any kind of difference to her. She looked down, averting her gaze from his piercing one, not wanting to answer him. This would not do for Apollo, they had little time and he needed to hear her acknowledge this of him. He loosened the grip of one of his hands and used it to lift her chin, forcing her to look at him again.

"The sun has always risen and set when you've asked for it, correct?" He asked her and for a moment they stood in silence watching each other. Neomi allowed herself to examine him silently. Apollo had been special to her since she was a child; the concreteness of his existence had always been reassuring with the morning sunrise. Despite the anger she felt about her family and most recent assault, she knew that those things were not because of Apollo and she could not rightfully ask he intervene at her leisure. She regarded him carefully—she had never seen him in his physical form before and not in such a way that felt as intimate as this. His hair was dark and long, pulled back with gold, while tendrils hung around his head; a neatly kept beard upon his face. He had hard brown eyes that she expected from a god, though they seemed to soften as they gazed on her. This was not what she had expected to see if she would ever have the honor of meeting Apollo. She had expected him to appear as a warrior, even to her. Despite his powers of prophecy and medicine, he was still a hunter, still a fighter, and a shining example of the sun in man's form. He was dressed as none of those things at this moment. In fact he was dressed plainly, in a linen tunic that reached his knees, adorned only by a golden belt with the sign of the sun stamped across it; the fabric of his tunic crossed over his left shoulder leaving part of the golden skin and well muscled area of his chest bare against her hands, where they rested from her earlier struggle.

She could feel the power he contained roll off him and it frightened and intrigued her. If he had wanted to he could have destroyed her instantly with less thought than he would give to a fly. It was not uncommon for gods to be petty and cruel as seen by her experience with Hades, but the way he was holding her now, restraining but not harming her, watching but not demanding of her was sincere enough.

"Will you let me help you, Neomi?" he asked quietly as he felt her relax against him. Finally, after what had seemed an eternity, she nodded.

"What did Hades do to me? Why do I see my family die every time I close my eyes?" she asked, pleading for it to be a simple answer. Apollo brushed his free hand over her cheek as tears began to fall again from her eyes.

"Hades is well known for his cruelty. Likely his own anger personified for being trapped in his well deserved prison." He began, "He wanted to make an example of you by forcing you to remember that which haunts you most."

"My family… My sister… I tried… Oh, Apollo, I tried!" Neomi cried out to which he nodded sympathetically. She had and it had been for naught but certainly nothing she should feel the burn of guilt for, for the rest of her days.

"Your mind tried to protect itself, Neomi. It built a wall to keep him out, but the damage was already done in a way. I will try to help you wake but I need your complete cooperation- And your trust if you will allow me to have it." He said. Neomi nodded, but something about her had changed. She seemed tired and Apollo watched as she shook her head as though emptying cobwebs from it. She looked at him, disoriented as though she could not focus on anything ahead of her. She put a hand to her head hoping to alleviate the pressure that now resided there.

"What… I… I'm so tired now. What's… Happening?" she asked dizzy against him. Apollo looked around them once more and realized that shadows had begun to form. This was more of Hades' work Apollo had no doubt; as soon as she made progress in escaping there would be more. The shadows began to change again and now he was staring into the red eyes of one of Hades' Valkyries. Whether they were real or shades of Neomi's mind made no difference. They would be dangerous to her just as anything she had faced already had been. As Hades' monsters drew closer, he could feel their power. They felt real enough and if they were affecting him he could only imagine what they were doing to Neomi who was quickly becoming limp against him. He could feel gooseflesh travel down her arms as they closed in around them, his grip on her tightening as they circled like wild animals. He could hear them whisper her name, their voices like metal against stone. Before either of them realized what was happening, Apollo felt Neomi being dragged from him, her face contorting in terror as she began to shriek at their sudden attack. Apollo tightened his grip, pouring all the godly strength he could just to keep her from being torn away from him.

"Hold fast, Neomi!" he yelled over the sudden chaotic noise around them. The Valkyries had begun to spin around them like a hurricane, tearing at them both. Although he was not their target, he could feel their teeth gnashing at his exposed flesh and their claws tearing at them to separate. He could feel Neomi's hands on his arms where she was holding him for dear life, but her fingers were slipping and her horrified screams grew stronger. The monsters hissed at her, screaming in her ears that she was responsible for her family's murders, responsible for every horrifying thing that had happened to her in her life. She was deserving of the treatment she was receiving and it would only become worse once they had her. They called her coward and whore, tearing at her mind and body. Sobs wracked Neomi as she heard their words and Apollo knew their influence was growing stronger with each passing second.

"Neomi, don't listen to them!" he cried as the throngs of Valkyries flew past them, increasing their terror at his words. Whispering that he wasn't real and she would die alone, that he wanted her as his slave and would make her suffer just as they would. All hope was lost to her. Neomi looked at Apollo and he saw the defeated exhaustion in her eyes.

"I can't." She said so quietly he almost couldn't hear her over the disharmony of the Valkyries wings. He pulled her closer to him with a burst of strength, cupping her head in his hands.

"Neomi, you are stronger than this. Fight them." He said as he looked down upon her, boring his faith into her with one look. As the monsters pulled at her legs, her hair, her clothes; tearing at her flesh and making her bleed still whispering horrors of her family, Neomi's eyes matched Apollo's.

"Let me atone for my failures, Neomi. Do you trust me?" he asked her and this time it took only a moment for her to nod her approval. And with that approval, he felt her love and her faith return to him like a crashing wave; his power increased ten fold so that he might do what he promised. His strength was felt across the monsters tearing at them and he felt them hesitate as they realized the god was at his full power again. Apollo smirked at them from over Neomi's head, now resting on his chest.

"Time to go back to the Underworld." He said and a burst of light shot across the darkness, consuming the Valkyries in its path, the monsters shrieking in pain as their skin split and bubbled. He realized as this happened that Neomi had lifted her head from his chest and was now peering over his shoulder. He turned his head to see one Valkyrie remained, as though frozen, staring straight back at her. After a moment it could take no more and disappeared as its brethren had. It was only seconds before Apollo felt her mind begin to wake and with much less effort then he had spent entering it, he found himself rousing. As they came to, he realized she was in his arms, her hands resting against his chest; his own clasped against her back not unlike they had been in her psyche. Somehow, they had moved in their physical world to support one another in their imagined one. He felt her stir against him and her eyes met his, their fire restored. Although she was groggy, she still recognized him; though she didn't speak he could see her face was a mix of sadness and relief. He sat back, still holding her with one arm, the other hand lifting her chin so their gazes met again.

"Are you with me, Neomi?" he asked her, but before she could respond, the doors of his chambers swung wide to reveal Apollo's father.

Zeus.


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

Neomi saw who it was and immediately stiffened. Although she felt oddly safe with Apollo, this was Zeus, the king of the gods. He could destroy other immortal beings, even his own son, without much effort. She could only imagine what he could do to her. She saw Apollo turned; loathe to let her go, but standing so he was blocking her from Zeus' view.

"Father." He said bowing his respectfully despite remaining wary of Zeus' unexpected arrival.

"I came to see how your pet was faring." Zeus said, his tone difficult to read. Apollo could feel Neomi's hands resting on his back as she waited behind him. It was odd that her accepting his protection was reassuring to him, though he wasn't stupid enough to believe Zeus would not annihilate them both if he saw fit.

"She is recovering." Apollo said shortly, hoping to keep this conversation limited. Zeus nodded, walking closer and now easily seeing the pair of bright green eyes that peered over his son's shoulder.

"My son has risked much for you today. I can only hope you will repay him with what little a mortal woman can offer a god." Although he was not outright disdainful, there was a clear tightness in his voice that showed his anger was still fresh in his heart. Mankind had outraged him and they should fear him; Neomi felt it was wise to remain silent and not bring him further frustration. Apollo also sensed this visit would easily become heated if his father remained, watching Neomi from over his shoulder.

"She should rest, father." Apollo said quietly, hoping not to ignite his father's passions further. Zeus finally looked back to his son and nodded.

"Of course, she should be prepared for whatever she may face from here on with her mortal brethren." He turned and left, the doors closing behind him, the silence following his exit almost deafening. Apollo could almost hear her heartbeat behind him, nearly beating out of her chest. He turned to face her again and could see that her face was straining to stay calm.

"He's going to kill them all, isn't he?" she asked Apollo. Her fear for her people was admirable to him. He brushed her hair from her face, smiling to reassure more than just her.

"My father is angry—but I hope he begins to see reason soon." He said, knowing it wasn't an overwhelmingly reassuring thought. Neomi didn't take his words at face value though and looked at him pointedly.

"Is that before or after Hades slaughters hundreds of mortals?" She asked. He found himself chuckling when normally he would find her insolent. Why he found her so intriguing still eluded him. His mirth was ill timed however, as Neomi took it as him laughing at the coming storm directed at her people. She pulled back from him, struggling off the soft bed she had been laying on in her catatonic state.

"I should have realized this would be amusing to someone who has no reason to fear death." She said as she set her feet on the cold marble floor of Apollo's chambers. Apollo held out his hands as a peace offering as he watched her walk away.

"You misunderstand me, Neomi…" he began only to be interrupted by a disinterested Neomi.

"Do I? My feeble mortal mind must not comprehend." She said, her offense at his words clear. As she took another step forward, she felt weakness shoot through her and suddenly the floor was closer than it had been previously and was still coming at a break neck pace. Apollo leaped forward as he realized she was falling, grabbing her as she bent back over his arm. From where they stood it looked as though they were at the penultimate moment of a dance.

"You are much too weak to go on an adventure just yet." He said gently as he looked down upon her. She looked back at him almost wonderingly; slowly her hand lifted and let it come to rest against his face. He felt real enough, the roughness of his facial hair in stark contrast to the smooth bare skin of his face. This was all too overwhelming for her and she hated that feeling more than anything in the world.

"Why does this not surprise me?" a voice called from the door way once again. Neomi didn't break her gaze from Apollo.

"Does this happen often?" she asked, causing Apollo to laugh.

"Increasingly." He responded as he lifted her back to her feet. He held her waist as she regained her footing, but looked to see that Corrine was back to check on her patient. The old woman scuttled in toward them, muttering under her breath.

"Do not hold back, Corrine. I have no doubt my guest would agree at how despicable and churlish you say I am." He said teasingly. Corrine shook her head and waved him off, directing Neomi back to a sitting position on the bed, surprising the young woman with her strength despite her obvious age.

"It would do no good, I fear she has already become enamored with you." The old woman said, bringing about a horrified blush on Neomi's face. The look on Apollo's face was bemused, but Neomi couldn't tell if it was because he agreed she was or if he felt the elderly healer was simply taunting them. Neomi didn't know what to say in her defense so sat silent as she had before, it seemed to be the safest option. Corrine turned to Apollo and waved her hands toward the door.

"Leave us my boy—I must check to see her wounds are completely healed. Give her the courtesy of privacy." She ordered to which Apollo complied without a fuss. Neomi was shocked at what power this woman held over him, clearly there was something about her that Apollo respected far more than he did to expect it in return. Neomi watched him leave and then looked back to Corrine, expecting to be chastised for her indiscretions. She found, however, Corrine, standing before her and smiling kindly. The elder patting Neomi's hands reassuringly. Neomi remained quiet, not knowing what to say next.

"Don't look so frightened dear—I'm an old woman and hardly a threat to anyone. Besides, I said that for Apollo's benefit. He can't go long without a good ego-stroking." She said cackling loudly; when Neomi didn't join in, she looked at the younger woman, grabbing her face and inspecting it.

"For Olympus' sake, do you have a tongue child?" she asked sternly. Neomi nodded but her voice came out quietly.

"I do, but I fear my words will be my undoing." She responded, to which Corrine cackled again.

"If there is one thing I have learned in my time with the gods, which," she said with a glimmer of laughter in her eyes, "has been a very long time, it is that gods are offended whenever they feel like it. Words that made them purr the night before, cause their anger to flow to the ends of Olympus in the morning." She said, as she helped Neomi disrobe for her healer's inspection.

"So a pathetic mortal like me stands no chance then." She said as she stood bare before the wizened woman. Corrine smiled as she lifted Neomi's arms, hands hovering over her skin as though testing for wounds that couldn't be seen. Neomi knew she wouldn't be surprised if there was some magic Hades had used to injure her further. He had been very thorough in his attack.

"My dear," Corrine began as her withered fingers fluttered over Neomi's flesh, "none of us do. Live your life and what will be, will be—you are hardly pathetic for that." She said. It was then that the old woman stopped as she looked down Neomi's body, she poked at a spot on Neomi's torso, just above her hipbone.

"What is this?" she asked as she looked at whatever had caught her attention. Neomi followed her gaze and realized Corrine had found her scar. It wasn't a particularly large scar, no more than an inch or two if you made the stretch for that length but that wasn't what was interesting about it. What _was_ interesting was if you looked at it just the right way, it looked, as a snake would be coiled and waiting for its prey.

"Oh—I've had that since I was a child." Neomi answered as the healer looked at it.

"What an odd looking scar," Corrine said meeting Neomi's eyes after looking at the mark for a moment. "What happened to create such a mark?" she asked as she looked over the rest of Neomi.

"I was a reckless child. We lived near a river where I liked to play when I was young. My mother had warned me to be careful, but I wasn't listening. I fell in the water and the current pulled me down." Neomi told her story, her eyes changing as though she were far away from Olympus.

"I don't remember much after that, but I remember before everything went dark, I felt as though I had been struck with a knife here," she continued, touching the area on her hip. "I woke up much later, home and dry. My father had found me on shore as though I had been dragged there. He said it had been the strangest thing as he had seen me slip below the water. He thought for certain he had lost me, if not for a stray beam of sunlight leading his way to me." She finished, coming back to her current surroundings and meeting Corrine's gaze.

"I suppose that's why I have always held Apollo in such reverence most of my life. My father honored him for saving my life." Neomi said, realizing she had been babbling. Corrine however, did not seem annoyed by any lost time, instead smiling at her.

"Perhaps this is why Apollo has such interest in you, child. Do not doubt your importance, there is no evidence to the contrary." The old woman said, turning toward a seat off in the corner of the chamber. Neomi hadn't noticed this before, but upon this seat was a beautiful dress, the likes Neomi had never seen. Corrine lifted it up and shuffled back toward her where she sat on the bed. Neomi stood shakily as she drew near, the old woman holding it up for Neomi to prepare to clothe herself with it.

"This dress is far too special for the likes of me, Corrine." She said, but the elder healer would not hear anything of it.

"If my hands were not bent with time I would cuff you for your words. This dress was made to be worn, there are no sacred texts or mouthy priests here to say you are not worthy of such a gift." She said as she prepared to guide the dress over Neomi's head. "Besides," she continued, "your other dress is ruined and smells of Hades. I would never allow you to wear that offense again." Realizing Corrine would not back down and was right she should present herself well; she bent down and lifted her arms to receive the dress.

The fabric was far softer than she had expected, the rough hand woven fabric of her own village had been a common sensation for her. This felt as though it were made of the softest silks and although she could see her skin was covered, it almost felt as though she were wearing nothing but air. The dress was green, as though one of the many colors of a peacock feather had been stolen to dye this dress, the color pleasing against her pale, freckled skin. The edges of the dress were trimmed in gold where they crossed her body, over one shoulder and under the other arm, cinching tightly at her waist with a woman's belt, a clasp not unlike the one Apollo was wearing, with the sun stamped on it. In a feat of incredible seamstress skill, the arms of the dress were buttoned atop her shoulders with small gold fasteners also marked with the sign of the sun, the fabric gaping until it was fastened again and once more leaving an opening for her forearms to move freely, the fabric continuing on until it reached the full skirt of her dress. She felt as though she were dressed as a great queen would be, though she would never say it aloud so as to avoid inviting the need to be humbled by those who had the power to do so to her. She was surrounded by great power and although much of her respect had been lost for many of them, there was still one she wished to show her deference to for doing what he had for her.

Before she realized what was happening, Corrine pushed her toward the large vanity on one side of the room—Here a large piece of polished bronze hung, used as a mirror. She was surprised when Corrine began to loosen the rest of her hair, the braids that had once been neatly coiled behind her head now messy and full of snags. Her face must have registered her surprise because Corrine laughed again.

"I may be a healer my dear, but that does not mean it's all I do. I never had children," she said as she picked up a brush from the table ahead of them. "I have always thought having a daughter would agree with me, I just never had the chance. Perhaps tonight you could be my adoptive child." She said as she pulled the brush gently through Neomi's hair, trying not to cause her pain by pulling at the rats in her hair. The repetitive motion suddenly caused Neomi to realize how tired she was, her eyes beginning to droop as she sat and felt Corrine's ministrations on her hair. She wasn't opposed to this alliance; Corrine clearly had a power over Apollo and if she had that, she would likely be a good ally to have for whatever the future held for her. Corrine's hands smoothed through her hair, rebraiding the strands into clean, glossy plaits behind her head once more. Her hair was very long though and Corrine's fingers though adept were slowed with age, the process was going to take a while, time which Corrine didn't waste. As her fingers twisted the strands into place, she met Neomi's eyes in the mirror.

"So, tell me more about this scar of yours." She asked. And for the next few minutes, as Corrine finished her hair, twisting pretty golden pins into the braids to add just a touch of a glitter, Neomi explained everything that had happened the day she received the scar on her hip.

After Corrine settled Neomi in, she shuffled out the door into the long hallways of Olympus. She knew she wouldn't have to look far, Apollo stood nearby, looking out upon Greece from one of the many open halls of Olympus. He turned when he heard Corrine come toward him, his patience with waiting wearing thin.

"Is she well, Corrine? May I see her?" he began, but the old woman put up a hand to silence him.

"You ask questions like love-sick young man—not the proud god you claim to be." Corrine said sternly, Apollo almost immediately quieting himself to hear the healer speak. The old woman patted his cheek from where she stood before him and then took a moment to compose her next words.

"What is it, Corrine? What have you seen?" he asked her quietly, the elder woman finally speaking.

"I have found something that may explain why this young woman is so intriguing to you." She said with great finality. Apollo simply stared at her, the words tumbling through his mind as the endless possibilities of what Corrine might have discovered swam through his mind.

Whatever it was—Apollo wanted answers now.


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

**Thank you to everyone who has left a review—your words are so kind and truly appreciated. I worry as I write this that I will disappoint you, so I promise I will do my very best not to do so. I apologize for the varying lengths of time it takes to get these posted, life has a way of getting in the way of the things we would prefer doing! That being said, I do hope you all continue to enjoy my work and I will do my best to keep it interesting!**

Apollo entered his chambers quietly, he and Corrine had walked the halls of Olympus discussing her findings and now he felt an unusual fatigue settle over him as he digested what Corrine had told him. He turned from shutting his chamber doors softly and was stopped in his tracks at what he saw. Neomi lay on his bed, fast asleep, this time of her own will. He stood watching her, marveling at what a change there was. She lay quietly on her side, one hand tucked under her cheek, the other draped over her side. She breathed softly in her slumber this time, it wasn't forced as it had been and whatever she was dreaming now as of her own free will. Her face was serene, no longer marred by the pains that had been forced upon her by Hades. Apollo walked closer, padding as quietly across the floor as was possible. He sat down beside her hoping not to rouse her; she had been through so much already this day he did not want to deprive her of the rest she so desperately needed.

As he observed her, he could see that Corrine's handiwork had extended to far more than just healing her. Her skin was soft and seamless again after the many tears and gashes caused by her earlier predicament had been healed over. Her hair had been brushed and braided, the glitter of gold amongst the strands and her torn and dirtied clothing had been replaced by a beautiful green dress that he could not help but feel was made for her body alone. He slowly reached out and touched her face lightly, cupping her cheek with his hand. Apollo was not innocent of philandering with mortal women; he had loved many in his time and was unashamed as such—in fact he had even been heartbroken by the few who had been rejected his advances. This was different somehow; he had an urge to protect her that outweighed desires he typically felt for mortal women. It was unexplainable, he didn't know why, it just was. He pondered as he watched her how he would broach upon what he had discovered or if he even should. Her situation was an odd one and all he could do was wonder if she would change because of it.

He didn't get long to consider before he heard what sounded thunder rolling through Olympus' halls. He leapt up from the bedside, the combination of him shaking her awake and the thunderous noise making its way toward them waking Neomi. She sat up her peaceful face contorting into one of fear.

"What is it?" she asked him from where she sat, listening with him as they heard the noise draw closer this time they could hear yells and screams of Apollo's fellow gods as whatever was infiltrating Olympus echoed toward them. He looked back at her and then toward where his armor sat where he had removed it earlier.

"I do not know, Neomi." He responded as he moved quickly across the room, grabbing his sword from where it sat beside his armor. There would be no time to don protection as the noise was getting louder and louder as they stalked closer.

"Stay behind me." He ordered her, pulling a dagger from his belt, he handed it to her. "Do you know what to do with this?" he asked her as she took it into her hand.

"I will have to be a quick learner." She replied as she looked at the blade and back to him. He nodded, knowing that was an unfortunate truth. He touched her face softly, wishing he could give her some reassurance, but it was in vain. He wasn't reassured himself; the likeliness he would be able to pass on what he didn't have to her was almost preposterous.

"Do not stray from me, Neomi. Whatever happens." He said, turning back toward his chamber door as it began to rattle and quake against the blows of their unknown attackers. They did not have to wait long for them to reveal themselves as the doors were given a final abuse, exploding into the chamber toward the two of them. Apollo could hear Neomi's terrified gasp as they realized it was Hades' Valkyries funneling in toward them, their screeches and raptor-like roars filling the chamber just as fully as their monstrous forms. The winged creatures circled around the two of them like a hurricane circles the sea, effectively trapping them. Apollo raised his sword high, preparing to slay anything that so much as breathed in their general direction. He could feel Neomi behind him, and although she was obviously fearful (something he could not claim immunity from), he felt oddly reassured. It was more than her renewed faith in him, it was far more than that, but he did not have the luxury of studying it now. His sword dipping in response to gnashing teeth making their way toward his throat, a satisfying connection taking place between steel and the flesh of Hades' minion. He heard pained screeches behind him and took heart that Neomi was bringing grief to their attackers.

He looked up for a moment during a bout with another monster and saw his sisters Artemis and Athena joining the fray, his uncle, Poseidon not far behind, weapons raised in defense of their family and home. Several of the Valkyries split from the group to engage them; the remainder still circled around Apollo and Neomi. Apollo wondered if the rest of his family were dead but the thought could only remain for seconds as more razor claws tore at him. His attention was drawn back to his sisters however, as he heard them scream for him and followed their gaze behind him. He turned, expecting to see a Valkyrie behind him waiting to deliver a killing blow, however his expectation turned to shock as he realized what was happening. Neomi stood behind him, her weapon raised as though ready to plunge a dagger into him without a thought. For a flash he thought she had betrayed him, however as he scanned her face, he realized something had changed. Her eyes had changed from an emerald green to an ice blue and they were chilling in both color and in the look that was coming from them. Her skin and hair had taken an unearthly glow, as goddesses' might take and she seemed to carry herself as an immortal. There was no time to be puzzled by this, however as her arm was still poised to strike. He looked at her, meeting her eyes and hoping that despite the sudden change in her, she would still listen to him.

"Neomi…" he said softly, finding too late that his distraction had become an opportunity well taken by the Valkyries as the searing pain of claws tearing at his back. As he recoiled against the pain and turned to fight them off, he saw from the corner of his eye Neomi hesitate and her arm dropped to her side. It seemed for a moment she was herself again, but whatever had changed her in the first place was far from gone. Although she didn't raise her dagger again, her unarmed hand lifted in response to the Valkyrie poised to slaughter him at any second.

"You will leave him alive." She said simply; the words in Neomi's voice, but not her. Without wavering, the Valkyrie stopped his attack, stepping away from Apollo without breaking eye contact with Neomi. The sun god looked back at the fire haired woman bewildered by what he was seeing, what he thought he had known and what he actually knew were quickly becoming two different things. It was difficult to focus on anything but the pain driving across his ripped flesh, but he pushed it to the back of his mind when he realized she was walking, the herd of monsters surrounding them, parting at her presence. Apollo and his family stood at the ready, not believing what they were seeing before them. As Neomi reached the door, Poseidon gripped his trident as though he would use it against her, to which Neomi stared at him coldly.

"Remove yourself from my path, sea king or I will tell them to strike at those who cause me to tarry." She said, her voice as icy as her eyes. Poseidon not one to take orders from mortals looked to contest her words, but found she was serious as the monsters surrounding them twitched as though waiting for her word. The god looked at his nephew, Apollo, as though making clear whom he found at fault for their current predicament, moving despite his better judgment.

"Neomi!" Apollo yelled as she crossed over the chamber threshold. Although she wavered at the sound of his voice, she continued walking, as though the name he called was unfamiliar to her. The Valkyries followed her, hissing at the gods in their midst as they left as a final insult. As the last minion passed through the doors, Apollo ran through in pursuit of Neomi, only to find, by the time he reached the hallway, the Valkyries had surrounded Neomi in a cloud of black smoke, disappearing with her among them as though they had never existed.

Apollo stared down the now empty hallway, fists clenching in anger. Hades was involved in this somehow and Apollo would see to it his meddling was brought to an end, just as soon as he figured out how he was doing it.


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

Neomi's eyes snapped open, sitting up with a start; as she looked around she realized she was no longer in Apollo's chambers but appeared to be back on the mortal plane, laying in a forest not unlike her childhood home. She felt her heart beating fast and agreed with its sentiments that this was becoming a frightening turn of events. How had she gotten here? She could remember the creatures of Hades that had tormented her in her own mind had found their way into Olympus and burst through the doors of Apollo's chambers; after that she could recall nothing. She lifted herself up to a standing position, brushing off the bits of forest that had worked their way into a dress that was far too fine for exploration through the mortal world. She felt off balance, as though her head become lighter and found herself stepping sideways a few times as though she had drunk too much mead.

As she did, her foot came into contact with something hard, whatever it was pushing sharply against the skin of her foot. She looked down and saw the shining, metallic end of a dagger. Leaning down carefully, she picked the knife up and saw the stamp of the sun in the metal near the handle. Her memory threw her a bone and she remembered this was the dagger Apollo had given her to help him defend against the Valkyries, after that she could remember no more. What had happened? Why could she remember only small portions of what had occurred? She could feel the exhaustion of this day pressing against her mind. Too much of her life she had spent wondering why it was she that was involved in such oddities; as though her destiny had been specifically designed to drive her to madness.

"The Valkyries… Where… What…" She said, confused and still stumbling.

"I sent them away." A voice chimed from behind her, Neomi turning to face it and finding nothing.

"Who's there? What's going on?" Neomi shouted, still searching for a physical form to place with the words she was hearing.

"Perhaps I could shed light on your predicament, child. Though you'll need to calm yourself for me to do so." It rang out again, this time sounding as though it were coming from the opposite direction. Whirling again, Neomi came face to face with a woman standing mere inches from her, as though appearing out of thin air. Neomi stood in shocked silence as she took in the woman's visage. Ice blue eyes peered out from a pale face, framed with thick black hair. She was ethereally beautiful, her skin had a glow about it that she had seen many times with Apollo and his brethren, but it was not from having communion with the sun. Her fair skin appeared to have lacked the touch of the sun's illumination for a very long time. She wore a black gown that looked as though it had been wrapped about her form to accentuate it specifically; the fabric wrapping around one shoulder, around her breasts and to her hips, leaving one hip exposed just enough that Neomi could see something that were she looking in a mirror, she would have thought belonged to her.

"That scar… I… I have that scar." She said pointing at the mark just at the woman's hipbone. The woman smiled, not unkindly, but it was strained as though Neomi were missing something.

"No, Neomi. My scar." She said flatly. Neomi looked at her in shock and confusion.

"I don't understand. I've had this scar si—"

"Since you were a child, yes. Since you nearly drowned in the river by your mother and father's home, yes?" She said as though the pages of Neomi's life were laid open before her eyes. Neomi took a step back from the woman, trying to distance herself from the revelations she knew she would be garnering from this encounter.

"Who… Who are you then?" Neomi asked, though she was almost afraid to know the answer. She knew this would somehow have godly involvement and if she were to be honest, she was tired of it. What she would give for a mundane life, where birth, life and death were normal and had no divine involvement. She did not, however, expect to hear the words that left the lips of the woman standing before her.

"I am Persephone." The woman said flatly, as though the name meant very little to her anymore. Neomi looked at her surprised; out of all the gods or goddesses she could meet in all her life, she never thought for one moment this would be one of them. However, the pallid skin, the black gown, the look of a woman who had seen death far too often suddenly made so much sense to Neomi. This did not alleviate the confusion she was feeling as to why she was here and why she could not remember what had happened in Apollo's chambers after the attack of Hades' minions.

"The Queen of the Underworld…" She said slowly, the woman nodding.

"That's one of the titles I carry, yes. Though for the past eighteen years I have not been queen too much but your psyche." She said, a smile crooking at the corners of her lips; Neomi's pulse began to race as she heard the woman's words. "Shall I tell you a story? You look as though you may know it, even if the details escape you." She asked Neomi. The red haired woman looking around the clearing they were in, wondering if anyone would believe what they saw were they to enter here. For the first time since they had met, Persephone laughed, a complete chortle that although was of course a beautiful sound, sent chills straight down Neomi's spine.

"I'm afraid were someone to enter here, Neomi—they would see only a young woman speaking to herself. At the moment, I am in her your mind's eye and your mind's eye alone." Persephone said to the silent Neomi ahead of her.

"How can that be?" Neomi blurted, afraid that perhaps she _had_ actually lost her mind and now it was coming full circle that she would be labeled a lunatic. The strangeness of her whole life suddenly becoming more and more clear. Persephone laid a hand on Neomi's cheek, the skin ice cold, which made less sense to Neomi than anything if Persephone were nothing more than a hallucination.

"I am not a hallucination, Neomi. I am as real as you, however—time has taken its toll on me and I find myself becoming more engrained in your mind than I thought possible." She said with great sadness. At her words, Neomi sat back down upon the ground, setting the dagger on her lap, waiting.

"Please explain, before my insanity becomes apparent to every eavesdropping villager." She said expectantly, Persephone smiling at her irritation.

"Despite my situation, mortal, I am still a goddess and oddly enough more powerful now than I have been for eighteen years." She said, her hopefulness evident in her voice, "You needn't worry no mortal, save you, will be privy to this conversation. Unless I allow them to be." She responded as she gracefully dropped to the ground ahead of Neomi. When the auburn haired woman continued to look at her expectantly, the goddess shook her head, amused.

"Your whole life has been this strange and _now_ you are in a hurry?" she asked. Neomi nodded in response.

"Now there is reason for it—I want to understand why this is happening." Neomi said, her patience wearing thin. The dark haired queen regarded Neomi quietly, as if pondering how she could explain years of confusion and misunderstanding without it being more of the same.

"When you were six years old, your mother warned you not to go near the river without her, do you remember?" Persephone asked Neomi. The young woman nodding as she listened to this growing story.

"Yes, I remember—I did not heed her warnings." Neomi responded, waiting for Persephone to explain what this had to do with anything. Persephone looked at her sternly, as though reminding her who she was speaking to.

"No, you did not, which is why we are both here." She said, just as sternly.

"Because of something I did as a child?" Neomi asked incredulously. Persephone nodded.

"I do not blame you for your childhood errors, but because of it, both of our lives were forever changed." She responded, she looked at Neomi pointedly as she asked a question of her own.

"Do you know what you mortals have charged me with?" to which Neomi responded she did with a shake of her head.

"You are the queen of the underworld—you are wife to Hades, the one who tortured me." She said darkly, "Did you know he would do such a thing?" she asked Persephone who did not respond immediately.

"I am sure he had his reasons, Neomi—perhaps it will become more clear if we continue." She said delicately, though Neomi was having none of it.

"His nearly killing me is reasonable?" Neomi asked disbelievingly, to which Persephone grew tense at Neomi's rising temper.

"You are a child of mortals, I do not expect you to understand the passions or complexities that come with immortality." She spat out in return. Neomi could feel her face go hot with anger as she felt as though her suffering could be easily swept away with the excuse of divinity.

"Passions?! His passions nearly destroyed me! I understand his passions just fine!" Neomi responded, her voice raising several notches as her blood began to boil, Persephone's anger matching hers.

"I do not think you do—or you would know much of his anger was directed at you because he believes me dead at your hands." The goddess yelled, her voice echoing through the clearing, the silence it brought with it deafening. "Now that I have your attention—you are right when you say I am the queen of the underworld. It is my duty to help my husband guide souls to his domain and their final resting place. However, it is only as such for a short time. I also rejoin my mother tending the growing and harvesting seasons in the mortal world. I am bound to both roles, but I dare not combine the two as I learned the harsh reality of eighteen years ago." She said much more quietly, looking at Neomi as though she expected a response; she found none.

"The day you nearly drowned, Neomi—was actually the day you were destined to die. You were never intended to survive the depths of that river." She continued. Neomi grew pale as she heard the revelation of what her fate had originally been.

"Then why do I still live?" she said in a small voice, waiting for Persephone's response.

"I was still a young bride, by immortal terms at least, my roles in the underworld and the mortal world were duties I though I had become powerful enough to make one. I was arrogant in my belief, as even my husband did not have the power to defy fate." Persephone said wistfully as she thought of her lost half, her eyes welling at the thought. "The day you were to die, I was bound to my mother and the harvest. I sensed you were near your passing—and in my mind I knew it was not I who should come to guide you to rest. However, in my foolishness I disregarded those thoughts."

In her mind's eye, Neomi felt memories that were not her own surface, looking through eyes that did not belong to her, she saw the lifeless body of a young girl floating inches beneath the water's surface. It took Neomi only a moment to realize it was her own body, which became the most surreal and frightening realization. She heard Persephone's voice as the memory continued, a pair of immortal hands reaching for the body, it beginning to glow, as Neomi could only assume meant her soul was being prepared to leave for the underworld; the brightness of it causing the murky waters of the river to be lit eerily.

"I began the ritual for releasing your soul to be sent to my husband's care—all seemed well." She said as the scene changed suddenly and a searing, ripping pain ran through Persephone's memory. Blackness began to push against the edges of her vision until it seemed she had lost consciousness.

"I was wrong—and I discovered too late that the boundaries I had been given on my wedding night were not just the conceited words of a man, but the decrees of powers much more powerful than I." The goddess said sadly, her voice tight with regret. As she did so, Neomi could see light begin to pass through a covering of some sort, shadows dancing across Neomi's vision until suddenly a blinding light made Neomi realize her eyes were opening and she was looking straight into the burning sun. She could see a woman's face could be seen leaning over her; distress and the wet of tears clear across it. Neomi recognized the woman as her mother and immediately felt a multitude of emotions at her presence. She could feel the sharp pain at her hip from her injury, but something did not feel right with this memory. Now it felt as though two sets of eyes peered from one body and for a moment Neomi saw across the riverbank as her mother carried her home. As she peered over her mother's shoulder, her tired eyes saw a woman, grief-stricken as she too leaned over the prone form of another woman; one who had matching dark hair and pale skin, though her face was younger. It was clear this was Persephone, queen of the underworld and her mother Demeter as she stroked her daughter's face in an attempt to wake her. It became clear this was where two being's memories collided and had become one.

"My mother was beside herself." Persephone as the memory faded until Neomi found herself back in the clearing with the goddess sitting before her once more.

"It was _you_ who died that day?" she whispered, to which Persephone gave a rueful smile.

"In a manner of speaking—I do not know for certain what happened. Punishment for my imprudence or a simple matter of destiny I do not know. My body may very well be dust by now, but my essence, my mind lives within you. Where it has done so for the last eighteen years."

Neomi felt as though she couldn't breathe until she realized she had simply stopped inhaling air. For eighteen years a goddess had resided inside of her and she had been none the wiser.

"How… I mean… You have been with me almost the entirety of my life and I have not known?" she asked, puzzled, bewildered, overwhelmed. Too many words could describe her current state of being. Persephone could relate as she felt the same way when she had awoken in the mind of a six year old girl and had had not been able to remove herself.

"I was greatly weakened from whatever happened at that moment—I had touched a soul, something I had done before but only when it was my time to do so. With you, I was doing so without the protection of the underworld or my husband. I can only speculate this is why I was weakened to the point I was—and as a child, you had much more reason to live than someone who has lived an entire lifetime. You must have sensed my power and latched on. The shock of feeling your life end, it made you suddenly stronger than any god." She said with a shrug as she stood and began to pace around the clearing. Neomi was in too much shock to consider moving.

"And you could do nothing?" Neomi asked, Persephone stopped and shot a warning glare at the young woman, as though she had asked something offensive of her.

"Do you not think I would have if I could? Without damaging your delicate ego, child, I had and still have no interest in staying bound to a mortal. All attempts I made were met with silence, I could not even wrest your attention from childhood long enough to use your physical form to reach Hades or my mother. I fear if nothing is done, I will die with you when you reach the end of your natural life. Something I would very much like to avoid." She said as gently as she could muster. This was the first time in eighteen years she had been able to explain or be free in some fashion from the mind of this young woman. It was difficult to maintain her composure with seemingly stupid questions. The goddess was surprised when she heard a quiet question pass Neomi's lips.

"Are you the reason my family was murdered?" she asked, not sure she wanted to know the answer. Persephone's eyes grew soft and for a moment they were sympathetic to the many losses Neomi herself had lost in over a decade of sharing a body with an immortal, even if it was unbeknownst to her.

"I wish I could say it was not, Neomi. But I defied fate and lost... Because of my stupidity, destiny tried to reassert itself but could not… The months I should have been tending harvest with my mother in the first days of my being gone, many fields were lost to plague and rot. The months I should have been bringing the dead to Hades, some who should have died did not and those who should not have did. Your family was too close to me to do anything to help them. Especially in my weakened state." She said, watching as Neomi's face fell, her family's demise becoming an even further declaration of being her fault. Persephone walked to the young woman, leaning down and lifting her face up to look her in the eye.

"If anyone is to blame, it is me—I will accept my fate, even if it is not what I wished it to be." She said firmly. "Besides, not all is lost, Neomi—You have done more than your fair share to make up for this, even without my guidance. Do you not remember those you've healed? Those you've helped even at great cost to yourself, as the gods have lost the love of mankind? You have helped ease the pain I caused by doing what I did. These are some of my most basic powers the very least, Neomi. You have used them to right my wrongs and you did not even know it." Neomi took her words and attempted to accept them, knowing it would still take her time to accept this, regardless.

"If you've been trapped in me, this whole time—How is it you have managed to appear to me now?" Neomi said, wonderingly. The goddess shrugged delicately as she began to pace again.

"I have grown stronger over time—even if you did not know of my presence, I was able to use my immortal influence as time moved ever slowly on. Your prayers to Apollo, for instance." She said, Neomi's head snapping up as she remembered she had been taken from Apollo's care. Was he concerned for her? Was he relieved to be rid of her even if it had meant being injured by one of the Valkyries?

"Those were not my prayers?" she asked, wondering if her whole life had been nothing but a caravan of divine gypsy performers using her for their performance. Persephone laughed hard at the girl's question, not because she was mocking her, but because she knew exactly how she felt, that she had become beholden to someone else for her life.

"Oh no—those prayers were yours and yours alone, mortal. I certainly would not have been praying to the lord of light. However, I was able to make him hear them more easily. Of all the mortals that prayed to him, yours was always the most clear. My hope was perhaps he would find you and in turn I would be powerful enough to remove myself from your mind." She said, Neomi's face not appearing to be anymore supportive of this revelation than before.

"And the Valkyries?" Neomi asked, wondering how if she had been unable to communicate as a goddess, how anything else would know where she was.

"The Valkyries are simple creatures to be sure, they were not created to be anything more than servants for my husand and I… However, often they can sense things that even the immortals cannot. While on Olympus, my proximity to the other gods must have bolstered my resolve. Although I must say I am out of practice, I was still able to guide them to you—though I will admit I did not intend for them to attack anyone." She said, legitimately saddened by what had occurred prior to their arrival in this clearing.

"Why here?" Neomi asked, gesturing around the forested area, if anything, it would have seemed more prudent to stay on Olympus to ask for help from the other gods.

"Apollo has become very protective of you, Neomi and he trusts Hades even less than he trusts Zeus at the moment. Although he and I never quarreled, I know that my husband's name brings great doubt upon him. I wanted to talk to you, explain to you first now that I can what had happened so that when Apollo finds you—and he will, he will understand what has happened without destroying everything in his path." She said, her eyes wide and clearly seemingly honest in their expression.

"But how did you free yourself? Eighteen years you have been trapped and today you are free to speak with me? Andwhy would Hades torture his own wife, if you and I are one in the same…" She asked, she may not be immortal or understand the passions of mortals but it did not make sense that a husband would knowingly torture his wife as such. Persephone smiled sadly.

"I can only assume that he does not know. You were captured because of your involvement with the people of Argos and because of your past history with me—If I know Hades, he is planning something. He has long awaited an opportunity to trick his brother just as he was into keeping the underworld in order. I do not believe his involvement with mankind losing faith is a coincidence." She responded, hoping that was the truth. For eighteen years, she had tried to find a way to find her husband or anyone that would listen. Apollo had not understood how young girls prayers had been so clear to him and Persephone had of course managed to become entwined with the mind of a woman that no longer had faith in any other god. Admittedly, as Hades was also the last god anyone would pray to anyway, as much as she loved him as his wife and queen—he was also the god of death. Many spent their lives trying to run from him, not ask him for his help.

"That being said," Persephone added, "I believe the unfortunate hurt you received at his hands and the succeeding intervention from Apollo may have loosened our bond enough that I will continue being able to speak with you like this. You have a powerful mind, Neomi—I have been in here long enough to know that you are far from ordinary; you just live an ordinary life. However, I think we both wish this joint journey would come to an end, don't you?"

"Then what do we do now?" Neomi asked finally, Persephone looking at her and smiling.

"We find Hades."


End file.
